Proudly the Opposite of What Passes for Progressive

Celebrity Vanity

NBA All Star weekend in Toronto produced some moments, like that, ahem, interesting version of O Canada sung by Nelly Furtado. But there was also this embarrassing bit of Canadian chest-thumping to an American TV audience;

So many questions this brings to our minds… like why did this asshole think it was appropriate to use a post-game interview of a celebrity basketball game as a venue for spouting out his political views? Was he asked about his politics? Would he agree that while, sure, the US has some things to learn from Canada, perhaps Canada has some things to learn from the US? Why is health care the first thing that he points out, when our health care system is hardly a role model for responsiveness? And, most importantly, who is this dude?

Look, we get that artists are leftists, and shall ever be thus. Conservatives are, by principle, generally in favour of balance, stability and rational government. Artists are about pushing boundaries, being avante garde, exploring new forms and structures. The greatest homage one artist pays another is that he or she “changed music”, or “revolutionized film making”, or “questioned our stereotypes”, or such platitudes. So yes, artists and conservatives are at odds; balance and stability doesn’t sound like change and revolution.

Then you have the phenomenon of “champagne socialism” whereby people have so much money and affluence that they are removed from the daily anxieties of normal working stiffs; no mortgage, no car payments, what’s a few extra couple thousands on their tax bills…. ha! we don’t even know exactly how much money we have! So, removed from those day-to-day worries they are free to take in the world from a 50,000 foot elevation and pontificate on the virtues of all sorts of grand social engineering schemes whether it be climate change, refugee crises, racism or healthcare. And it doesn’t even matter how many homes these people own, like renown champagne socialist Jeremy Irons, or how much carbon dioxide their yachts are pumping into the atmosphere, like renown warmist Leo DiCaprio, they’re somehow immune to accusations of hypocrisy. Like the Arcade Fire dude who can afford whatever health care he needs, in whatever country.

There’s a great political ecosystem out there with checks and balances. Eventually, history tells us, when the pendulum swings too far in one direction, there is a correction in the other. Can these artists and champagne socialist thrive and make money in an unstable world? That’s the irony, that they need the platform built by conservatives. And so Win Butler, take a breath, things are not so desperate in the fight against the right that you have to take any little opportunity to push your pet leftist causes, just enjoy your moment at a silly little celebrity event and come to the realization that at the end of the day you need us.